The phrase “it is what it is” pretty much summed up the pull buoy for us—at least until we tried the TYR Hydrofoil Ankle Float. Here was a product that took a fairly simple, no-frills concept and made it so much more.

When you first look at the Hydrofoil Ankle Float, it’s pretty clear that it’s designed with core development and strength training in mind. For those who have never used an ankle float in the pool before, the concept is simple—rather than holding the buoy between your legs, this float fits securely around your ankles. And if you’re worried about just how easy it is to get the Hydrofoil on and off during your workout, TYR’s got your covered. The Hydrofoil’s ankle cuffs were designed with ease of use in mind. Not only are the cuffs easy to get on and off, but the design also prevents your ankles from slipping out mid-workout. We never struggled to get the float on or off, even after we’re trying to catch our breaths after a hard set.

The Hydrofoil’s design also encourages the swimmer to tighten their abdominal and lower back muscles to maintain form and position. What’s more, it allows you to select your resistance level with a simple flip of the float. Looking for greater resistance? Wear the flatter side of the float facing up (TYR logo facing up). For less resistance, wear the contoured side facing up (TYR logo facing down).

One of the biggest concerns we had about this product was whether we’d end up feeling tied down and restricted in the water. Fortunately that wasn’t the case at all with the Hydrofoil. Instead, we found that having it securely fit to our ankles allowed us to focus on the workout rather than constantly fumbling around with a standard pull buoy between our legs. What’s more, the stability offered by the float really forced us to keep up our form throughout the entire workout (no sneaking in a few little kicks off the wall as our arms got tired).

Priced at $19.99, the Hydrofoil comes in two sizes—small for swimmers 155 pounds and under, and large for swimmers weighing over 155 pounds. We have been testing the smaller size, which worked just fine for the entire AG team.

Overall, if you’re still training with a standard pull buoy, we highly recommend giving the Hydrofoil Ankle Float from TYR a try. Sure, “standard” is just fine. But when it comes to making the most out of every single training session, the Hydrofoil truly delivers on that promise.